U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced today that the department will allocate $50 million in grants to top-notch charter management organizations to help them expand their reach. This is the first time the feds have specifically sought to help good charters replicate their efforts. Twelve charter management organizations made the cut. The lucky dozen: *Achievement First: Will get $1.67 million to create 14 new schools and expand two schools in Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island *Aspire: Will get $5.58 million to create 15 new schools in California. *Foundation for a Greater Opportunity: Will get nearly $1.5...

The two consortia that won grants from the U.S. Department of Education to create more uniform assessments are getting some extra cash to complete their work, the department announced today. The two winners, which collectively represent 44 states and the District of Columbia, will split $31.7 million. The money is aimed at helping the consortia with the implementation of the new assessment systems. In order to get the extra funding, the consortia will have to sketch out how they plan to transition to the new assessments. Their plans could address professional development needs, and how the two consortia ...

So, chances are you've probably heard about the new push to put K-12 education front-and-center on the national agenda, through the documentary "Waiting for Superman" (which got airtime on "Oprah", a major public platform if there ever was one) and through NBC's "Education Nation", which features a whole lot of edu-hoopla, including Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on "Meet the Press", a 30-minute interview with President Barack Obama on education, and a teacher town hall meeting. The NBC effort is funded in part by some of the same foundations that tried to steer the conversation to education in the 2008 ...

President Barack Obama showcased his education agenda on the "Today Show" this morning, touching on charter schools, union, competitive grants and a new initiative to recruit and prepare new teachers in the STEM fields.

Republicans say they'll crack down on spending, possibly even taking back unspent stimulus funds, if they're able to take over the U.S House of Representatives after the October midterm elections. That's according to a widely circulated draft of the GOP's Pledge to America, a sort of to-do list for Republican leaders being officially released today. Here are some important graphs: Act Immediately to Reduce Spending:There is no reason to wait to reduce wasteful and unnecessary spending. Congress should move immediately to cancel unspent "stimulus" funds, and block any attempts to extend the timeline for spending "stimulus" funds. Throwing ...

President Barack Obama is going to sit down for a half-an-hour interview Monday, just on education issues, with NBC's Matt Lauer. Although I'd be surprised if he unveils any brand new policies, the interview itself is a big deal. "It's a real opportunity" for the White House to send a message on the importance of education, Roberto Rodriguez, a White House adviser on education issues, told executives assembled today at the school division of the Association of American Publishers' fall meeting on Capitol Hill. "The president rarely grants half-hour interviews on one issue." The interview, probably not coincidentally, coincides with ...